Let's Look Back

I started writing way back in 2018. Writing was a means to work on my speeches in Toastmasters. Public speaking was one of many reasons, though. It was a phase. Everything pushed me to channel my negative energies after a failed relationship.

In this article, I want to reflect on my blogging journey and how I have transformed as a writer.

It was around 2018 when my knowledge of mental health grew at a fast pace. Being an Indian, I have always been proud of our spiritual roots. Despite our spiritual backgrounds, we have a significant stigma towards mental health. Surprising, isn't it?

I wanted to join in with whatever little I could do to promote the significance of mental health. By 2018, I had spoken about mental hygiene in Toastmasters for a few years.

It was exciting as I was preparing for my first blog. I had content, and writing on mental health was not too difficult. I wanted to add a personal touch to the story. Hence, I used my surgery on my right bum as an example. I published this article on Medium. In case you are not a member of Medium, you can read the article here.

I had yet to learn of tools like Grammarly & Hemingway. Hence, I requested one of the mentors in Toastmasters to review the content. To add quality to the content and capture feedback, I tested the article in Toastmasters. The response was terrific. I won the first round of the Toastmasters International Speech contest at the club level. In the second round, I won the third prize. Unfortunately, I needed to win the first prize to proceed to the third round.

I am providing a quick summary of the article by quoting relevant sections for easy understanding.

My Right “Gluteus Maximus” (Bum)

This article aims to draw a parallel between a personal incident and mental illness. Around Christmas 2018, Swelling and pain in my right bum concerned me. It was embarrassing to visit a doctor. Pulling down your pants in front of a stranger is not funny. My brain refused to differentiate between pain and embarrassment.

Later that night, the doctor performed minor surgery for an abscess. The surgery provided relief. All the TLC (Tender love and care) given to my bum eliminated any need for embarrassment. The surgery allowed me to map the whole experience with another embarrassing aspect. I am referring to mental health issues.

We have done a great job discussing mental health issues as a society. I have a question: Have we accepted Mental illness like any other disease? Depression, Anxiety, or any other mental disorder is like an abscess filled with pus. The pus could be due to challenging times or hormonal imbalance. My question is, irrespective of the diagnosis — Are we at fault? If the answer is no, what is the embarrassment about?

The embarrassment lies in exposing oneself to the treatment.

If you want to read more, click here.

How have my views changed as a writer?

Over the past few years, society has surprised me. I have been guilty of underestimating people's efforts to maintain mental hygiene.

I migrated to Australia in 2014. Hands-on heart, my mental health is my manager's priority.

My friends talk about it without much hesitation. There is still a lot of stigma among Indian men. I try to make small inroads in my work as a first-level counselor for an NGO. Unfortunately, our reputation of coming from a patriarchal society is not helpful. It does not allow men to shed tears. I often ask? What is the problem in showing your weakness?

As my writing evolved, content on mental health matured as well. I have grown from briefly touching on mental health to describing constructive techniques to practice self-awareness. These days, I focus on topics like journaling, meditation, bibliotherapy, visualization etc.

Conclusion

What started as an adventure has turned into a stress buster. After writing for a medium for many years with some success, I am expanding my reach via Vocal. There are aspirations of starting my blog. It will happen when the time is right. I am putting in the hard yards with baby steps.

I have complete faith in visualization and affirmation techniques. In time, my hard work and honest intentions will bring my dreams to reality. Thanks for reading this article.